Gardening: John Humphries

Whatever happened to the wild blue Welsh anemone? It certainly existed 100 years ago when William Robinson, doyen of the English flower garden, wrote about clumps of anemone connubiensis growing beneath forests of gnarled oaks on rain swept mountain slopes.

Whatever happened to the wild blue Welsh anemone? It certainly existed 100 years ago when William Robinson, doyen of the English flower garden, wrote about clumps of anemone connubiensis growing beneath forests of gnarled oaks on rain swept mountain slopes.

From March to April white wood anemones cover woodland floors but I am still looking for a blue one.

Perhaps in a remote corner of Wales some have survived the relentless march of dark conifer plantations.

The wood anemone is a barometer of the health of our woodlands because colonisation is painfully slow – just 6ft every century.

In much the same way as it’s possible to estimate the age of a hedgerow – 100 years for each variety of tree it contains – a woodland floor covered in anemones is an exceedingly ancient one and should be protected.

The ancient Greeks called these graceful, nodding white flowers with their conspicuous yellow anthers “wind flowers” believing they only opened when the wind blew.

The truth is that the flowers close on quiet, dull days to protect the pollen.

Not even the daffodil compares with the anemone as the harbinger of spring, a season that will presently be occupying the minds of gardeners because autumn is for planting bulbs which includes corms, tubers and rhizomes.

In the wild most bulbs grow between 2in and 10in beneath the surface although some like cyclamen rise to the surface in cultivation.

The most popular bulbs, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocuses, are best planted in open ground in October at a depth twice the height of the bulb and left to fend for themselves. Others, such as lilies, especially those that are stem rooting, and fritillaria imperialis with its large yellow flowers, need deep planting covered by 6in of soil.

Most bulbs, and especially lilies, appreciate rich, but well drained soil although animal manure should be avoided and only used when very well-rotted.

I hate to think of the number of lily bulbs I have lost from planting in excessively wet ground.

All bulbs benefit from an autumn mulch with garden compost or leafmould. It is also important to allow the foliage to die back naturally and to keep container grown bulbs growing until natural die back occurs.

When planting in pots or bowls for winter and spring decoration in the house, plant bulbs with their noses just above soil level, except for lilies which are always planted with their tips just below the surface in deep containers.

Compost in clay pots dries quickly and the roots will be drawn to the damper side of the container while plastic pots are at greater risk of waterlogging.

Sharp grit or sand can be added to John Innes No 3 potting compost to improve drainage.

With judicious planting it is quite easy to have bulbs in flower every month of the year. December is the only time they need to be grown indoors.

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